Photographs

The following image sets provide a selection of the most popular images used in Paul Ekman’s original research. Each set of photographs highlights facial features which express a specific emotion; these images are still used in academic studies today.

The copyright for these images belongs exclusively to Paul Ekman. Photographs are priced and licensed accordingly. Purchase of these image sets entitles users to include them in noncommercial (academic research) publications or for personal use. You may not distribute the photos to third parties. If you require information on commercial licensing rights, please contact us before publication.

All image sets are purchased as a downloadable zipped file at available resolutions. Please see details about image size, file format and other normative data.

Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA)

$175

The POFA collection consists of 110 photographs of facial expressions that have been widely used in cross-cultural studies, and more recently, in neuropsychological research. All images are black and white. A brochure providing norms is included with the collection.

Unmasking the Face Photo Set

$100

This collection of seven black and white photographs from Paul Ekman’s book ‘Unmasking the Face’ illustrate each of the seven universal emotions – anger, fear, disgust, contempt, surprise, sadness, and happiness.

New Guinea Man Photo Set 1

$175

This collection was first used in the 1971 Nebraska Symposium on Motivation where Paul Ekman presented on Universal and Cultural Differences in Facial Expressions of Emotion. The collection includes four black and white photographs in which members of a Stone Age tribe from New Guinea were asked to pose emotions.

New Guinea Man Photo Set 2

$175

This collection of four black and white photographs show members of a Stone Age tribe from New Guinea posing expressions of happiness, anger, disgust and sadness. These images were first used by Paul Ekman in the Afterword which appeared in his edited edition of ‘Darwin’s Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals.’ These photos are often used to illustrate the universality of emotional expression.